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Post subject: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2015 3:33 pm
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Hi there and Merry Christmas!
One of my strat has fat 50 pickups, while I love the tones out of them, I hate the overpowering G string volume in comparison with high e and B especially.
There's no way I can set the pickup height in order to have balanced volume between G B E strings.
Very annoying for the solo sections!
I don't want to mess up the pickups by pushing down the g pole, I know there's little risk to break the copper winding....
So here comes the idea: while opening my toolbox I noticed some little circular Steel scrap pieces, luckily they have the same diameter like the pickup magnets... So I dropped one of these "extra magnet" on top of each B pole of the three pickups and...... String balance is obviously improved! By looking at the pickups staggering, it now follows quite well the neck radius. I can now adjust the pickup height to my taste.
Easy, cheap, effective with no risks.
Basically I now have a modern staggered fat 50 set.

Anyone solved this issue by putting a ferromagnetic piece of metal on top of pickup magnets?


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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2015 4:24 pm
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I have a Strat equipped with Fat 50's and noticed no such imbalance so I have not tried it. Good thinking on your part though. Hope it continues to work out for you.

Merry Christmas to you as well.

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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2015 2:03 am
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Is your action is alright on all string ?


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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2015 3:37 am
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stratele52 wrote:
Is your action is alright on all string ?


I think so, it follows the neck radius quite well, treble side little lower than bass side.
The overpowering G string was very annoying especially in recording sections.


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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2015 3:41 am
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guitarman1984 wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
Is your action is alright on all string ?


I think so, it follows the neck radius quite well, treble side little lower than bass side.
The overpowering G string was very annoying especially in recording sections.



Sorry but you must be sure :lol:
Before mod a guitar if you don't like the way it play , a complete tune-up is a must.


You can rise the G string.


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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2015 5:14 am
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stratele52 wrote:
guitarman1984 wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
Is your action is alright on all string ?


I think so, it follows the neck radius quite well, treble side little lower than bass side.
The overpowering G string was very annoying especially in recording sections.



Sorry but you must be sure :lol:
Before mod a guitar if you don't like the way it play , a complete tune-up is a must.


You can rise the G string.


The G overpowering was so obvious that I would need to rise the G string so much compared to other strings that the playability would have been heavily affected. So I took the opposite solution and I ended up "raising" the B pole instead. It has to be noted that I didn't mess with the pickup at all, I just added a tiny piece of metal on top of the B pole to somehow strengthen the magnetic field in that string ( or to decrease the distance between B string and B pole.

Anyone else tried this?


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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2015 5:24 am
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These pickups ( staggered magnet ) are use on Fender guitar since the beginning and I never heard any sound issue with their magnet as you write .

That is why I write about a complete set up .
Since how many years your guitar do not see a qualified luthier ?

Ok it is a matter of taste too..........


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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2015 12:03 pm
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I remembered this was under discussion in another topic some time ago; viewtopic.php?f=6&t=98994

The Fat50's set sound might not be the best for your taste. Different staggers for different folks, etc; options from google :wink:
Just an idea, if you feel can't tame that G with EQ settings or pickup height: next time you change strings, try if your ears would like a set with a wound G - like in Ernie Ball Light Nickel Wounds.


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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 2:37 am
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jmattis wrote:
Just an idea, if you feel can't tame that G with EQ settings or pickup height: next time you change strings, try if your ears would like a set with a wound G - like in Ernie Ball Light Nickel Wounds.


Actually, such a scenario would compound the problem. A heavier, wound G string would create more volume because there is more mass vibrating across the pickup pole's magnetic field. If anything, a lighter string should be considered.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 3:16 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
A heavier, wound G string would create more volume because there is more mass vibrating across the pickup pole's magnetic field.

I find the opposite is often true; the explanation being that the thinner core of a wound string results in less volume than the big solid mass of the plain string.

Anyway, no harm in trying my suggestion - and your "thinner G" is also one possible solution.


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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 9:57 am
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jmattis wrote:
I find the opposite is often true; the explanation being that the thinner core of a wound string results in less volume than the big solid mass of the plain string.


If this were true, each of the four strings of a Jazz Bass or Precision Bass would produce identical volume levels when plucked with identical force. But they don't. The larger diameter E string generates more volume than the G string because there is more harmonic content due to the larger overall diameter of both the core and the wrapping.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 11:48 am
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Aw, come on, that's the saddest straw man I ever seen. I was not implying that the core alone is responsible for the string's volume/tone/color/smell/anything.
On my example I was suggesting to switching from a plain .018 ("specially tempered tin plated high carbon steel") to a wound .022 ("nickel plated steel wire wrapped around a hex shaped steel core wire"). I'm thinking the sound difference alone might do the job, since this kind of balance issues are often really subtle and personal.

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Also, light-gauge and round-wound guitar strings didn’t exist when the Stratocaster was introduced in 1954. At that time, the third string (G) was flat-wound like the E, A and D strings, but its output was lower, so Fender compensated by raising the polepiece under that string. Once light-gauge sets with unwound G strings became available years later, the same staggering arrangement was no longer necessary.

That's from Fender Tech Talk pages...


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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 2:24 pm
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This "straw man" is licensed by the United States Government as a First Class Radio-Telephone Technician with a radar endorsement and is fully conversant with the principles of magnetic induction, which is how a Stratocaster guitar pickup operates.

What do you bring to the table?

:roll:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 2:44 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
What do you bring to the table?

You didn't believe Fender (as a remark; the stagger descends from Leo's era...), so maybe Kinman?


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Post subject: Re: Fat 50 pickups unbalanced volume
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 3:02 pm
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I have no idea what effect a plain or wound "g" string would have on the volume, but I've wondered about it. My old '66 Strat had the staggered poles and came stock with heavy flatwound strings with the "g" being wound. There must have been some reasoning for that. There weren't all the options available then like we have today.


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